Why some Aussies might not be able to vote on same-sex marriage

It’s official: the government is going ahead with a non-compulsory postal vote on same-sex marriage. Postal votes will be sent out from September 12, and are due back by November 7.

The vote isn’t binding, so the government can still go in the opposite direction of the results if they want to; but it’s a chance for every Australian to have their say on an important issue.

That is - almost every Australian.

Update: A new phone info line has been set up by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to answer individuals' questions on the survey. The number is 1800 572 113.

Unlike a compulsory vote such as the Federal election, bureaucracy surrounding the postal vote could force thousands of Australians out of voting.

Hack has identified six types of Australian citizens who might not be able to have their say on same-sex marriage.

The overseas traveler who doesn’t know where they’ll be

If you’re traveling overseas between September 12 and November 7, it’ll be pretty difficult to vote.

Unlike a Federal election where overseas travelers can vote at an embassy overseas, the same-sex marriage postal vote is different.

24-year-old Liz will be overseas when the ballots are sent out.

Overseas travelers can register as an overseas voter, but they have to supply an overseas postal address.

24-year-old Liz, who will be traveling around Europe from next week and won’t be back in Australia before November 7, says voting will be pretty much impossible.

“It would take just so much planning for me to know where I’m going to be and sort out the paperwork to arrive at the right time and place.

“It’s hurtful as someone who this means a lot to. For me not to have a say in it sucks.”

The couchsurfer or homeless person with no fixed address

If you don’t have a permanent roof over your head, you probably don’t have a letter box either.

According to Homelessness Australia, there’s currently around 105,000 homeless people across the country, and the amount of young people who are couchsurfing has spiked over the last four years.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, who are in charge of conducting the vote, are “finalising the survey process, including supporting participation by all eligible Australians (including those without access to mail, vision impaired, overseas etc) and will provide details when they are available.”

The Australian who turns 18 after September 12

Even if you’re registered on the electoral roll, if your 18th birthday is after August 24 you won’t be allowed to vote.

That’s even if the rest of your household receives their postal ballots after you turn 18.

17-year-old Andrew misses out on voting by a few days.

17-year-old Andrew Bell will be celebrating his 18th birthday on September 16 - four days after the first ballots are sent out.

“I’m really annoyed actually, this is an issue I’m really concerned about and I think it’s annoying the cut off is so close to my birthday.

“I thought I’d be able to have a say in this plebiscite, but knowing I’m just missing out is frustrating as someone who’s pretty involved in politics.”

The Australian who has moved house since July 25

Update: on 14 August, the AEC said people who have moved can nominate an address other than what's listed on the electoral roll. Contact the Australian Marriage Law Survey Information Line on 1800 572 113 to find out more.

If you’ve moved house in the last few weeks, or will be moving in the next 14 days, it’ll be pretty hard for you to submit your postal vote.

27-year-old Double J producer Nick is moving into a different house on the weekend.

In order to update your address on the electoral roll, you have to have been living there for at least one month.

Because the cut-off date for updating your electoral roll details is August 24, Nick will only have been living at his new address for 12 days. That means he won’t be allowed to update his current details on the electoral roll in time.

“I won’t be checking my mail at my old residence,’ Nick told Hack, “So does that just mean my vote is lost in the mail?”

Essentially - yes.

“If I want to pay $75 for a six-month postal-forwarding service I can [get my ballot]. There is a solution, but it does cost money.”

The same goes for any Australian citizen who has moved houses in the month before August 24 - their postal ballot won’t be delivered to where they’re actually living.

The Australian living in a country with a postal service that lets them down

If you’re living overseas and have updated your address on the electoral roll, you’ll be sent a postal vote to have your say.

The thing is, some postal services around the world can take months to deliver mail to remote locations.

Megan, living in regional Indonesia, hopes her ballot will arrive in time

Megan has been living and working in regional Indonesia for four years. She’s on the electoral roll and has updated her address to where she’s living in Indonesia, but she’s not too confident that her ballot will get to her on time.

“There’s no reliable mail, it takes a really long time for stuff to get out to us. First it has to go via Jakarta, and then it gets sent to us via ship,” Megan told Hack.

“That can take anywhere from three weeks to five months because of the regionality of our location.

“I’m moving back to Australia in six months’ time and I’m invested in what happens in our country.”

The Australian who has been living overseas permanently for 3 years

If you’ve been living overseas for a while, it’s worth checking up on your electoral roll details.

If you’re enrolled to vote, you can change your details and register as an overseas voter within three years of moving. After that, you fall off the electoral roll.

Nick Hardcastle, who has been living in the US for more than three years, has fallen off the electoral roll because he didn’t inform the AEC when he moved overseas.

“It’s a huge issue getting back on the electoral roll and I’m not going to be able to do that in time for this.”

Nick admits that if he had been more diligent with updating his electoral roll details years ago, he wouldn’t have this problem. He would now need to show his intention to return to Australia within six years and he doesn’t intend to come back anytime soon.

“It was me not being responsible in the first instance, but now it’s just the way the system works.

“It’s totally disappointing. I want my voice to be heard, I want my vote to count.”

How to enrol to vote or update your details

We know there's hundreds of thousands of young people missing from the electrol roll.